Disposable slide fixation fluid package



y 2, 1964 B. c. SCHARF 3,132,744

DISPOSABLE SLIDE FIXATION FLUID PACKAGE Filed Oct. 2, 1961 2Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG.3

INVENTOR.

66w 6. Jc/m/y May 1-2, 1964 B. c. SCHARF 3,132,744

DISPOSABLE SLIDE FIXATION FLUID PACKAGE Filed Oct. 2, 1961 2Sheets-Sheet 2 1 FIG.9

a fi 40 2% /36 INVENTOR.

( I BY 34 WW T7 N5 Y United States Patent 3,132,744 DISPOSABLE SLIDEFIXATION FLUID PACKAGE Ben C. Scharf, 1973 Morris Gate, Seaford, N.Y.Filed Oct. 2, 1961, Ser. No. 142,227 4 Claims. (Cl. 206-84) The presentinvention relates to a disposable slide-fixation fluid package and, moreparticularly, to a disposable fluid package for on-the-spot use in thefixation of certain specimen slides used in microscopic analysis, suchas slides used for the microscopic analysis of cervical tissue, or thelike.

Specimen mounting slides, of the character for which the presentinvention is intended to be used, are gen erally fixed after receiving asmear of the specimen thereon, by immersion in a fixation fluid whichconsists of a mixture of ether and alcohol in substantially equalproportions. Heretofore, the fixation fluid mixture was generallyprovided in a relatively large, wide-top container containing a largequantity of fixation fluid and provided with some form of closure, as ascrew-top closure. Such fluid containers were opened and the specimenslide generally dropped into the fluid therein, to remain there for therequisite fixation period. At the end of the fixation period, the slidewas removed from the container, generally by grasping with the fingers.Frequently a paper clip was secured to the end of the slide beforeimmersion and the slide was removed by grasping the attached clip withthe fingers, so as to avoid possible disturbance of the specimen on theslide. Obviously, slide fixation methods and means of the prior art, orany minor variation thereof, are quite unsatisfactory on many grounds.For one thing, because of the large quantity of liquid in the container,the liquid was used over and over again, numerous times. For anotherthing, the practitioner was generally likely to fail to cover thefixation fluid container during the period in which the slide isimmersed in the fluid. This is not only wasteful of the highly volatileether and alcohol; but also, since the ether and alcohol have varyingrates of evaporation, the ratio of the ether and alcohol contents in thefluid is altered after a number of uses, thereby diminishing theefficacy of the fluid mixture during successive uses and necessitatingthe discarding of the large quantity thereof.

Additionally, the fixation methods and means as heretofore practiced andused are unsanitary because the container, as stated, is frequently aptto be left open to contamination from the air and also because of thepractice of immersing the fingers into the fluid for slide removal.Further, the re-use of the same fluid for the successive fixation ofsubsequent slides of different origins presents a chance, even thoughremote, of material from one specimen slide becoming attached in someway to a succeeding slide, presenting a danger of error in analysis.Additionally, it is advisable and customary to take more than one, asduplicate, specimens from the same source, each on a separate slide, andto fix them simultaneously, for safety and assurance in microscopicanalysis. The immersion of two slides, at the same time, in the fixationfluid container, presented a risk of disturbance or damage of one of theslides by the other during immersion or when removing.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a slide fixationpackage containing a small quantity of sealed fixation fluid which is ofmaximum convenience and practicality for use for the fixation of one ortwo specimen slides and which may hereafter be discarded or otherwisedisposed of, in toto, to thereby make prac-' tical and economicallyfeasible the fixation of each slide or set of slides in a fresh fixationfluid medium.

It is another object of the present invention to provide 3,132,744Patented May 12., 1964 a slide fixation package of the characterdescribed in which the fixation fluid is sealed at the time of packagingand remains sealed until required for use, to thereby make possible thefixation of all slides in a fluid medium of constant and accuratecomposition.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a slidefixation package of the character described which may be convenientlyused for the fixation of one or two slides with safety against damagefrom the bringing of the specimen, on either of the slides, into contactwith the walls of the package, or with one another, either duringinsertion or fixation or removal from the fluid.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a slidefixation package of the character described into which the slide may beinserted and from which it may be removed without the users hand cominginto contact with the fixation fluid or with the specimen-carrying faceportion of the slide.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a slidefixation package of the character described, which is protected, beforeuse, by a container that may serve as a stand for the package duringfixation, and may be discarded after its package contents are consumed,to thereby eliminate permanent presence of a fluid container and theneed for a permanent stand for the fluid package on the laboratoryWorking surface.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a slidefixation package of the character described which may be used after itscontents have been spent in fixing of one or a pair of slides and thendiscarded, for the storage and protection of the fixed slide or slidesduring subsequent handling preparatory or subsequent to microscopicanalysis.

It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a slidefixation package of the character described which is of simpleconstruction, easy and economical to produce, and economical andconvenient to use.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the package of thepresent invention will become more readily apparent to those skilled inthe art from the embodiment thereof shown in the accompanying drawingsand from the description following. It is to be understood, however,that such embodiment is shown by way of illustration only, to make theprinciples and practice of the invention more readily comprehensible,and without any intent of limiting the invention to the specific detailstherein shown.

I In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of'a disposable fixation liquid receptacleof the package of the present invention, before filling;

FIG. 2 is a similar view of the fixation liquid receptacle, afterfilling, and sealing; partly broken away to indicate liquid contents;

FIG. 3 is an end elevational view showing the filled fixation liquidreceptacle open, and in use for the fixation of a pair of microscopicspecimen slides;

FIG. 4 is a section, on an enlarged scale, taken on line 44 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a plan view of a flat-folded outer container of the package ofthe present invention adapted for holding one or more fluid receptaclesof FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a section through a carton set up from a blank of FIG. 5,taken along the plane of line 66 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged, fragmentary view of the receptacle-supporting endof the outer container of FIG. 6, shown in set-up position;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary view similar to that of FIG. 7, shown with thepackage-holding recess in set-up form; and

keeping the pair of slides from coming into contact with one another.The package of the invention comprises a disposable outer wrapper orcarton for the sealed receptacle that has provision for being convertedinto a stand for the fixation fluid receptacle during the period thatthe slides are treated therein. 7

Referring now, in greater detail, to the embodiment of the inventionshown in the accompanying drawing, the

package of the present invention comprises a relatively thin-walledcontainer or receptacle, generally designated as iii, which may beformed by mass-production means, as by molding, from a thermoplasticsynthetic resin, such as polyethylene plastic, that is inert both toalcohol and to ether and is sutliciently rigid to maintain its shape andmay be easily cut by a scissors. The receptacle it preferably comprisesa relatively elongated hollow body which may preferably have slightlycurved side walls, 12, flat opposed end walls, 14, a relatively fiatbottom wall, 16, and an upper portion whose end wall sections taper toprovide a relatively narrow opening 1.8. The receptacle 16 is of aninner width substantially equal to the width of a standard glassmicroscope slide and of a thickness exceeding the thickness of a pair ofsuch microscope slides,

and the end walls 114 are each formed with a centrallydisposed,longitudinally-extending groove on their exterior, providing an innerrib, 2b; the distance between the ribs 20 of the opposed end walls 14 onthe interior of the receptacle being less than the width of a standardmicroscope slide, so that the two ribs in the end walls divide thereceptacle with substantially two compartments opening into one another,each of which is able to accommodate a standard microscope slide and toretain the same within it against movement into the adjacentcompartment.

The receptacle it) may be of an overall length preferably slightlyexceeding the length of a standard glass microscope slide, with thenon-tapered portion thereof being of a length less than the length ofsuch slides.

The receptacle is provided at its upper end, immediately adjacent to thetapered portion thereof, with a peripheral groove, 22, extending aroundthe four sides thereof, adapted to serve as a cutting line indicator.The receptacle may be filled from its opening 18 with the desiredquantity of fixation liquid and then heat-sealed at the end of itstapered portion to form a closure, 24.

For use, the receptacle It may be cut along the cutindicating line, 22as by a knife or a razor blade or a scissors, preferably only on threesides thereof, so that the tapered top remains connected to thereceptacle, and the specimen-carrying slides, 26, insertedintothereceptacle for fixation by its liquid contentsthrough the openingprovided by the cutting-away of the tapered top portion; each slidebeing inserted into one of the compartments formed by the ribs 20, sothat the two slides do not come in contact with one another. The slides26, being of greater length than the portion of the receptacle belowthe'groove 22, will project slightly from the receptacle, to permittheir withdrawal, after fixation, without the fingers of the personwithdrawing them coming into contact with the wetted portion of theslides or with the liquid contents of the receptacle.

The package of the present invention also comprises an outer wrapper orcarton for one or more of the receptacles 10. Such carton is illustratedin FlGS. -9 of the drawings, and is generally designated as 30. Thecarton 30 may preferably be formed of a unitary cardboard blank which isscored and folded to provide a first pair of par allel Walls, 32 and 34,which, for convenience, may be designated as top and bottom walls,respectively, of the carton, which are connected at their ends by a pairof upright connecting walls, 36 and 38, one of which, as 33, may beformed by overlapping extensions of the walls 32 and 34, as shown inFIG. 6 of the drawings. Each of the walls 32 and 34- may be providedwith an ofisetably foldable extension, 40 and 42, respectively, eachprovided with an inwardly foldable flap, 44 and 46, respectively, whichextensions 49 and 42 with their flaps 44 and 45, may each serve as aclosure for the carton.

One of the walls of the carton, as the top wall 32, may be provided witha tearawaytongue, 48, adjacent the foldline, 59, connecting it with anadjacent wall, as the connecting wall 36. The tongue 4-8 is defined by afoldline, 52, parallel to the foldline 50, and spaced therefrom adistance substantially equal to one of the cross-sectional dimensions ofthe receptacle 10, as its thickness, and of a length equal to the otherof the cross-sectional dimensions of the receptacle It), as its width.The tongue 48 is further defined by parallel cut or foldlines, 5d,connecting the foldline 52 with the foldline 50. The cut or tear lines54 are each extended part-way toward one another, as at 56, and thencontinued into the connecting wall 36, part of its height, as indicatedat 58; with a foldline, 6%, connecting the extremities of cut lines 58to define a tongue extension, 62, of narrower width than the tongue 48.

In use, pressure is applied on the tongue 48 and tongue extensions 62,to offset them inwardly into the carton, to provide a recess in thecarton 30, through the top opening of which the bottom portion of thereceptacle it may be inserted to hold the receptacle in upright positionbetween the edges provided by the outline portion 54, the wall formed bythe now depending tongue 43 and the portions of the connecting wall 36to each side of the opening formed by the inward depression of thetongue extension 62, which is now substantially horizontally disposedand serves as a support for the bottom of the receptacle 19..

This completes the description of the disposable slide fixation packageof the present invention, the manner of its assembly, as well as themanner in which it is to be used. It will be readily apparent that suchdisposable slide fixation package may be easily and convenientlymass-produced at relatively low price, to make its disposabilityeconomically practical. It will also be apparent that such package iseasy and convenient to use, because it is compact and occupies a minimumof space on a laboratory table, and occupies such space solely when inactual use; because it provides highly safe, sure and sanitary fixationfor the slide-mounted specimens, with the fixation fluid being always atuniform, standard strength and clean and uncontaminated from any source.

It will likewise be apparent that the package of the present inventionpermits thefixation of a pair of slidemounted specimens at one time,with a minimum of risk of disturbing the specimens on the slides, andthat when the fixation liquid is emptied, the receptacle may serve as asafe storage means for the slides until they are microscopicallyexamined, and thereafter.

It will be further apparent that numerous modifications and variationsin the disposable slide fixation package of the present invention may bemade by anyone skilled in the art, in accordance with the principles ofthe invention hereinabove set forth, and without the exercise of anyinventive ingenuity. I desire, therefore, to be protected for any andall such modifications and variations that may be made within the spiritof the invention and scope of the claims hereto appended.

What I claim is:

l. in a disposable package for use in the fixation of specimen-mountingslides for microscopic analysis, comprising a hermetically sealedthin-walled thermoplastic hollow body including a pair of spaced wallsdefining the width of the body and a pair of spaced substantially fiatwalls connecting said first-named walls and defining the thickness ofsaid hollow body, said walls connected by a bottom wall at one end andhaving free edges at their opposed ends, said hollow body being of aninner width equal substantially to the width of a glass microscopeslide, said second pair of walls each having a longitudinally-extendingrib on their inner surface, said ribs spaced from one another a distanceless than the Width of a glass microscope slide, each said rib spacedfrom an adjacent one of said first pair of walls a distance exceedingthe thickness of a glass microscope slide and extending from said bottomwall in the direction of the other end of said hollow body, said hollowbody containing fixation fluid and having the free ends of its wallsheatsealed to one another.

2. The package of claim 1, wherein said second pair of walls tapertowards their free ends.

3. The package of claim 1, wherein said hollow body is formed with aperipheral groove defining a cutting line, the distance between saidgroove and said bottom Wall of said hollow body being less than theheight of a glass microscope slide.

4. The package of claim 1, wherein said second pair of walls tapertoward their free ends and said ribs extend from said bottom wall to atleast said tapered portion of said other pair of walls.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,458,766 Chemlinski Jan. 11, 1949 2,680,557 Madden June 8, 19542,681,144 Turner June 15, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 269,135 Great BritainFeb. 9, 1928 540,681 Italy Mar. 12, 1956 645,964 Great Britain Nov. 15,1950 735,669 France Sept. 6, 1932

1. IN A DISPOSABLE PACKAGE FOR USE IN THE FIXATION OF SPECIMEN-MOUNTINGSLIDES FOR MICROSCOPIC ANALYSIS, COMPRISING A HERMETICALLY SEALEDTHIN-WALLED THERMOPLASTIC HOLLOW BODY INCLUDING A PAIR OF SPACED WALLSDEFINING THE WIDTH OF THE BODY AND A PAIR OF SPACED SUBSTANTIALLY FLATWALLS CONNECTING SAID FIRST-NAMED WALLS AND DEFINING THE THICKNESS OFSAID HOLLOW BODY, SAID WALLS CONNECTED BY A BOTTOM WALL AT ONE ENDHAVING FREE EDGES AT THEIR OPPOSED ENDS, SAID HOLLOW BODY BEING OF ANINNER WIDTH EQUAL SUBSTANTIALLY TO THE WIDTH OF A GLASS MICROSCOPESLIDE, SAID SECOND PAIR OF WALLS EACH HAVING A LONGITUDINALLY-EXTENDINGRIB ON THEIR INNER SURFACE, SAID RIBS SPACED FROM ONE ANOTHER A DISTANCELESS THAN THE WIDTH OF A GLASS MICROSCOPE SLIDE, EACH SAID RIB SPACEDFROM AN ADJACENT ONE OF SAID FIRST PAIR OF WALLS A DISTANCE EXCEEDINGTHE THICKNESS OF A GLASS MICROSCOPE SLIDE AND EXTENDING FROM SAID BOTTOMWALL IN THE DIRECTION OF THE OTHER END OF SAID HOLLOW BODY, SAID HOLLOWBODY CONTAINING FIXATION FLUID AND HAING THE FREE ENDS OF ITS WALLSHEATSEALED TO ONE ANOTHER.